Look for Wi-Fi Alliance Certification to Ensure Upgraded Security
Before diving into the improvements in WPA3, it’s important to be clear about where WPA3 will and won’t be available. First, take a closer look at Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6: The terms were coined by the Wi-Fi Alliance, an industry consortium. Most IT managers use Wi-Fi 6 as a synonym for IEEE 802.11ax, the technical name given to the standard by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (similarly, Wi-Fi 5 is the common name for IEEE 802.11ac). However, there are differences: The Wi-Fi Alliance has selected certain options and features and made a particular profile in the name of interoperability. The same is true with WPA3, which is not entirely required by 802.11ax but is required by the Wi-Fi Alliance.
The Wi-Fi Alliance certifies all Wi-Fi hardware from major vendors, especially in the U.S. Wi-Fi Alliance certification on access points guarantees good interoperability with most client devices, such as laptops, smartphones and tablets.
Anything certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance since 2020 will have WPA3, because it was added as a requirement, not just for new 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) but also any new 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) access points. What this means is that WPA3 comes with Wi-Fi 6 and any recently released Wi-Fi 5 products, but may also be available as an upgrade to existing Wi-Fi 5 equipment. Because all major Wi-Fi vendors in the U.S. are certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance, it’s helpful to focus on the WPA3 features that the organization has mandated.
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